The government has gazetted Hung Shing Temple on Queen's Road East and Stanley Mosque inside Stanley Prison as statutory monuments under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance. The designations were made on October 2, 2026.
Hung Shing Temple is one of Wan Chai's oldest surviving temples, estimated to have been built between 1847 and 1852. Dedicated to Hung Shing, known as the God of the South Sea, it has long been a religious and ritual site for fishermen and maritime merchants.
The government said the temple's traditional Lingnan folk architecture and largely preserved original appearance give it significant architectural value. It also described the building as a historic landmark reflecting Wan Chai's early religious landscape and communal traditions.
Stanley Mosque was built between 1936 and 1937 inside Stanley Prison. It is Hong Kong's second-oldest mosque and the only one inside a prison compound. The government described it as a rare building type in Hong Kong.
Indian and Pakistani Muslim staff of the prisons department, the predecessor of the Correctional Services Department, initiated, funded and built the mosque with the local Indian community. Modelled on Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, Pakistan, it has a symmetrical layout facing the Holy Kaaba in Mecca, a flat concrete roof, a crenellated parapet and an arcaded facade with horseshoe and ogee arches.